The 26SRC Blog

One of the most satisfying parts of 26 Split Rock Cove is getting to know the artists and writers who come to stay and work here. This is surely the case with Amy Parrish, photographer and mixed media artist, who is in residence here this winter and has become a good friend.

Amy worked as an award-winning portrait photographer and traveled the United States teaching other professionals within the industry. In 2014 she shifted her focus from commercial work to very personal, hand-processed image-making. She studied alternative photo processes with Brenton Hamiltonat Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, ME, which is how she came to find me at 26 Split Rock Cove two winters ago. So I was delighted to hear that she wanted to return this winter after an amazing year in India where she served as Director of Operations and instructor for The Light Space, a program which offers vocational training in photography for young women who have been affected by the commercialized sex trade.

Now I’m pleased to announce that Amy is offering a series of workshops entitled Coastal Retreat from April 19 – 25. You may sign up for one workshop, two workshops or all three! The first workshop, April 19 & 20, is a photographic adventuring out into the landscapes of this region of Maine, capturing some of the magical, mystical scenes that those of us who live here, call home. The early morning mists over the bays and ports, the glorious sun rises over the islands in Mussel Ridge Cove, and the rocky shorelines of our peninsula. The second workshop, April 21 – 23, introduces us how to alternative photographic processes, and we’ll use our images in a variety of ways. And the last workshop, April 24 & 25, of the week is a creative retreat, in which participants can continue their work, or work with Amy in creating portraits in her style and using her immense knowledge of the camera and its possibilities.

Come join us at 26 Split Rock Cove for any or all of the week’s inspiring workshops with Amy Parrish. Make this a retreat of your own!!

Join artist Ken Foster and writer Teresa Piccari on a creative journey that brings two art forms together. Working in the studio and in the field, we will draw from observation and imagination. Weaving in words, we will add context and meaning to create your unique journal

Our Poetry of Place fall weekends here at 26 Split Rock Cove are now an institution! Barbara Helfgott Hyett has created an inspiring blend of generative writing, free writing, observation and experiential writing exercises, all leading to our goal of finished poems. We read poems of other Maine poets, past and present. Add in a fun opening night dinner, breakfasts together, and free time to explore the coast, or visit a museum in Rockland, and a final poetry reading on Sunday afternoon – and there you have it – a real treat for poets of all skill levels.

Some of the poems that come out of this workshop have been published. Poetry of Place focuses on the place we happen to be – here on the Mussel Ridge Cove of Maine in Southern Penobscot Bay, but also metaphorically the place we’re each in. And we discover that place through our writing and discussing of poems. By Sunday morning we become a tribe of poets and work hard to craft our ideas, consider more formal issues like meter, line and stanza breaks, and other poetic devices.

If you haven’t worked with Barbara Helfgott Hyett before, please give it a try. For those of us who have, we know we will come away from this weekend with a poem, and a process for more work based on the Poetry of Place.

For more information or to sign up, check out Workshops on this website or call Sandy at 207-596-7624.

26 Split Rock Cove is delighted to have Julie Houck return for another 3 day painting workshop, July 29 – 31. Last year, Julie arrived here with her paints and canvas, and a fancy touring bike for her long 50 miles rides. Over the course of her one month stay at 26 Split Rock Cove, Julie painted and painted, rode and rode and towards the end of the month gathered 8 students together to Paint Clouds and Skies. Through a slide talk, demos, and lots of time outside, participants painted some exciting sky-ward landscapes.

With great pleasure, she will be back this year. And now we turn to understanding how atmosphere is created on the canvas. Through direct observation, we will not only explore how light and color influence what we see, but how we see it. How can we capture a scene’s essence beyond the literal view? I’m looking forward to capturing the salty air at 26 Split Rock Cove and all of the experiences that are brought to mind by the very special atmosphere of this place.

Please think about joining us this July. For information, check the Workshops on this website.

A short bio: Classically, trained, Julie Houck has been teaching art for 17 years. She studied at the Atelier of Classical Realism, the Academy of Fine Art in San Francisco, and in France at the L’Ecole Albert Defois with Ted Seth Jacobs. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Hawaii State Art Museum and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. A featured artist at the commemorative 2000 “Artists of Hawaii” exhibit at the Honolulu Academy of Art, Julie’s work has been exhibited extensively in Hawaii, the mainland as well as in Europe. Julie is a Signature Member of Plein Air Painters of Hawaii and International Plein Air Painters, and the American Impressionist Society. You can learn more about Julie at www.juliehouck.com

I am thrilled to hear that Stu Kestenbaum will be the next Poet Laureate of Maine! I asked Stu to come and read at one of the Poetry Salons for many reasons. First and foremost, his poetry. I am eager to hear work from his newest book, Only Now, as I haven’t yet read it. I like to dip into Prayers and Run-on Sentences as Stu seems to express some of my feelings about living in Maine.

I also have a deep fondness for Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. I have many friends and colleagues who have taken workshops, taught courses, or just visited that beautiful campus. As an artist and poet, I have an affinity for the person who moves back and forth between words and objects. I’m hoping others here in the mid-coast region will come to hear Stu for that reason.

And now I can also say I’ve had two of the five Maine Poet Laureates read at 26 Split Rock Cove. I hope you’ll join me on Sunday May 22 at 3 pm to meet Stu Kestenbaum, to listen to his fine poems, and to be with other like-minded artists, poets, and poetry enthusiasts for this fun afternoon.

Reservations are suggested, but not necessary. A reception will follow the reading!